


Parallax

by toomanysecrets



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-23
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 01:24:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2005653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanysecrets/pseuds/toomanysecrets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot of things have changed over the past 20 years.  Some haven't changed at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parallax

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "BSC, Parallax" on the comment-fic LJ, too long ago.

When Kristy Thomas was seven years old, her father left, and made her made her very, very sad. She wondered what she had done that had made him leave, and what she could do that would bring him back. She burst into tears when Ricky took the last piece of red construction paper in art class, and yelled at Mary Anne that she didn't want to play with her stupid dolls anymore.

Her mom kept telling them that it wasn’t their fault that their father went away, but Kristy wasn’t sure. If only she hadn’t thrown Charlie’s new baseball in the house, like Daddy told her not to, and broken the lamp in the living room, or if Sam hadn’t flunked his spelling test so his teacher had to call home, or if Charlie hadn’t forgotten to take their new dog for a walk every night like he was supposed to, or if David Michael hadn’t gotten sick and kept the whole family awake that time, would Daddy still live with them?

At night she would stare at the ceiling of her room and wonder if her dad would like her better if she liked wearing pretty clothes and playing with dolls. Charlie and Sam always fought over having to share a room, but Kristy thought it must be kind of nice to have someone there in the dark with you. One night, kneeling on her bed looking out the window, she realized that she could see right across their lawns to Mary Anne’s bedroom window, but it was dark, and Mary Anne was asleep anyway.

 

At 27, Kristy remembers the weeks and months and years after her father left with a rage that she has, with a lot of practice, learned to keep in check. There is no doubt in her mind that her father leaving was the best thing that could have happened to her family, in the long run anyway. Her mom was busy and tired as a single mother of four, and sometimes money was tight. But Kristy remembers that the times her mother would dissolve into tears making dinner or helping Charlie with his homework started before her father left, and stopped not that long after. Most importantly, if her father hadn’t left, her mother would never have found Watson. And Kristy cannot imagine what her life would be like if she had never met and come to love Watson, Karen, Andrew and Emily.

One convenient thing about her mother marrying a millionaire is that neither she nor her brothers have any student loan debt from college. She’s reminded of this once again when she wakes her computer up and the admissions webpage from Dartmouth’s business school is staring at her. Ever since her boss suggested she go back to school for her MBA, Justin’s taken to leaving these little reminders for her whenever she leaves her computer unattended. She’s thinking of putting a password on the screensaver.

Maybe B-school is not a terrible idea. They’ve talked about it. But even without any debt it would be a huge financial commitment. “Oh, come on,” Justin had said, lobbing Penny’s disgusting slimy tennis ball across the park. “I can support both of us for a couple of years.” Penny reappeared in front of him, panting, and dropped the ball at his feet. “Sorry, girl, I meant all three of us.” Their golden retriever gazed up at him adoringly while he scratched her behind her ears. “Then, after you’re making huge piles of money with your fancy degree, it can be your turn, and I can spend all day on the couch watching Jerry Springer.” He threw the ball again and Penny bounded off after it. “Or, you know, taking care of our pack of brilliant, extremely attractive children.” Kristy had laughed but scooped up Penny’s ball and flung it far away, twisting so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact with him.

Justin’s been making it clear that he wants their relationship to be permanent ever since the drive back from Stacey and Dan’s wedding three years ago. She’s been averting her eyes every time it comes up, and somehow Justin hasn’t lost patience with her yet. 27-year-old Kristy knows a good thing when it nurses her through the flu or takes her huge, crazy, wonderful family in stride. The 7-year-old in her still remembers what it feels like when the things that are supposed to be permanent suddenly aren’t. Eventually she’ll look Justin in the eye and have the conversation he wants to have. But she’s not ready just yet.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting around unfinished for months while I tried to express all the things I wanted to without having to spell them out explicitly. I'm not really satisfied with the ending, but I hereby give up on this one. At least for now.
> 
> Also it occurred to me after most of this was written that since it's BSC it probably should have been first-person. Whoops.


End file.
